Department of History
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Current 2009 Budget:
Changes – Archives storage was improved through the purchase of additional shelving in the amount of: $2,791. Funding was taken from the contractual expenses to cover the cost. The long term efforts of this project will benefit the County for years to come as the Archives gained 210 cubic feet of storage space.
Potential problems – New York State reduced 6% of the 2008-2009 Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Grant awarded to the County and delayed sending the funding for two months. The reduction in funding and time (8 weeks of grant activities) required the County Historian to adjust her 2009 project schedule to work with the grant’s Inventory Clerk on this project. The Archives Cataloging project was 3/4 completed and the County Historian will continue working on completing the cataloging project during 2010.
Storage within the Records Center at County Building #2 is becoming limited. This is a positive sign that the various County departments are using the Records Management program and therefore additional space is required to accommodate their needs. The anticipated next project to improve the Records Center through the purchase of additional shelving was unlikely to be supported through a Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund grant. The County therefore is completing this project through a Capital Project and the shelving cost is $26,145.95. The Records Management Officer is working with Facilities Management on that project. Once the shelving has been installed an estimated 3,563 cubic feet of storage will be created which will provide the County with ample storage.
2009 Budget and Beyond - The remaining funds within the contractual expenses will be used to purchase supplies for the Research Library, Records Center and Microfilm Lab.
A. Programs that have been added or deleted:
Added:
1. The Historians teamed up with the Batavia Cemetery Association to improve the Ghost Walks during the month of October. A new power-point presentation was researched and created to provide a program for those in our community who can not walk. The Historians Association again this year sponsored a special lecture provided on October 30th. The Ghost Walks proceeds collected by the Historians Association will be used for promoting local history.
2. Hosted the first full day meeting/training of new organization for historians in Western New York which was a great success and well attended with 70 historians from 10 counties. Genesee County Historian was appointed to serve as the first Executive Council Chair. The new organization is Government Appointed Historians of Western New York (GAHWANY) and our web site is GAHWNY.org. The fall meeting held in Dansville on October 3rd and was attended by 80 historians.
Deleted: - None
B. Trend Indicators
1. Total assisted the public in the Research Library = 1,839 walk-ins and phone inquiries. [About average as compared to previous years. This is a positive sign due to the current economy.]
2. Answered genealogies and requests for local history - Total of 81 paid request resulted in $2,513.85 in revenue between January through September. [The revenue includes the “User Fee” for non-county residents, payment for staff research conducted and the cost for copies.] Request has increased by 12 and the revenue has increased $283 as compared to last year.
3. Presentations – Total number of presentations given so far this year = 16 plus an additional 10 are scheduled between October and December. Between March and October the History Department has had a booth at the eight major community events within the county to promote the department and projects of the Genesee County Historians Association.
Anticipated Changes for 2010
By improving the county’s website we anticipate an increase in request for information which will result in an increase in revenue. The County Historian will continue to work with IT Staff to improve the History Department’s Web Page to increase public access to the collection. Previous grant funding provided a consultant to improve access to the archival records on the website which will be featured in 2010.
Placing presentations on the website will provide the information to people who live outside the county and increase access to those who are unable to attend a presentation.
C. Number of Staff – Anticipated Changes
CURRENT STAFF
| Susan L. Conklin, County Historian/Records Management Officer | 37.5 hours per week |
| Judy Stiles, History Department Research Assistant | 37.5 hours per week |
| Robin Goetze, Microfilm Clerk/Records Management | 37.5 hours per week |
Anticipated Changes for 2010: The County Historian will be working two days a week at the Records Center to accommodate the increased in activities at the Records Center. The position of Microfilm Clerk began working one day a week at the Research Library in August of 2009 and is being crossed trained to cover the History Department.
VOLUNTEERS, STUDENT INTERNS, GRANT & AMERICORPS
Name |
Affiliation |
Project |
Lee Hendershott |
Bethany Town Historian |
1930’s Obituaries |
Rick Brewer |
Volunteer |
Great Depression |
Larry Barnes |
RSVP |
Donations/Archives |
Jim Carr |
RSVP |
Daily News Indexing |
Mary Carr |
RSVP |
Daily News Clipping & Filing |
Leilani Spring |
RSVP |
Daily News 2009 Indexed |
Bill Dougherty |
RSVP |
Baseball History |
Ruth Newton |
RSVP |
Veterans Records Re-filing |
Vickie Becker |
RSVP |
Property Title Searches |
Ruth Koch |
AmeriCorps |
World War II |
Between January and September the RSVP volunteers worked 978 hours and the projects completed by all of the volunteers provide increased public access to the collection which increases revenue.
AmeriCorps Project:
The 5th Genesee County History Department’s AmeriCorps project has continued with the creation of a community history on World War II. The project is sponsored by the Genesee County Historians Association which provided the needed funding of $1,975 to support the 900 hour project. Project activities included copying Daily News articles from the time period, arranging them into notebooks and creating an index for public access. The war years have been completed and currently the detailed index is being created.
Anticipated Changes for 2010: The Genesee County Historians Association will fund the 6th AmeriCorps project and will provide the needed $1,975 of financial support. This funding will be used to create a comprehensive collection regarding the Great Depression and its impact of the County.
D. Expense/ Revenue Change – significant changes occurring or expected
Expenses:
Long term projects of the Genesee County Historians Association will be to continually provide funding for printing books. Profits from the sales of books are used to fund the next book project and to support AmeriCorps projects. As a result the History Department is able to promote local history without requesting funding from the Legislature. The average cost is $3,500 per publication.
The third part to “Famous Genesee” (a 4 part series of books) will be completed for publication in 2010 and will be Famous #3 - Entertainers – Residents and Visitors. Additional books will follow:
2012 Famous #4 - Sports
2014Quirky Genesee – odd stories that are often humorous and/or unusual
2016 Brides of Genesee – For Better or Worse
2018 Criminal Genesee - High Jinks, Hobos & Hoodlums
2020 Genesee Pioneers
Book activities include locating articles, typing, arranging the chapters, proof-reading and working with a printer.
Revenue:
1. $2,513.85 in revenue was generated between January and September [The revenue includes the “User Fee” for non-county residents, payment for research conducted by the staff and the cost for copies. The average amount handed in is $279 per month. The revenue total for 2009 has increased $283 as compared to last year.]
2. Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Grant
Grant funding from New York State has yet to be awarded for the current grant cycle. The Planning Department submitted a grant as the counties are now only eligible to apply for one grant per year.
